The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-22
THE IVES COTERIE.
Facts About the Way They Started
on the Road to Wealth.


these persons which by some chance have
not appeared in public print even if they
are generally known. Ives, for instance. is
said to have once been clerk for Harper
e. Brothers, the publishers He really began
as bell boy for joseph Harper when he was
about II years old and later became clerk
in the establishment. But he was young
eagle In q dOvecote. 1t was too quiet and
peaceful. He wanted to enter that Gehenna
OF speculative excitement, Wall street, and
he did when he was about 20 years
old. He was a bright, promising boy with
pleasant, ingratiating manners, and readily
obtained place. He was with number
of firms and the list has never been cor
rectly stated in print, though, of course, it is
not an important matter. He is said to have
been discharged from one place for dishon-
esty As he grew older, but while still
clerk, he speclilated in fifty and one hundred
shares and bought puts and calls By hook
and by crook he got together enough money
to go into the brokerage business himself,
and the sequel is that the former bellboy
fails for the nominal sum of $4,000 900.
On one occasion | talked to Ives at his
office for some minutes under the impress
sion that he was one of the clerks. His
office is on the southwest corner of Nassau
and Cedar streets within a short distance
from where Aaron Burr once lived, and with
III a stones throw of the site of the ancient
Dutch church, once occupied by the post
office, and where now stands one of the
finest of the commercial palaces of New
York. There, by the way, ex-President
Arthur had his law offices. Nassau street
is one of the oldest thoroughfares in the city;
it was laid out two hundred years ago and
was named in honor of William of Nassau,
or as he is generally known in history,
William III. of England. Washington,
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr,
Talleyrand, Louis Philippe and Washington
Irving, and in later times Emerson, Gen.
Grant and many others of wide celebrity
have passed slowly along the ancient
thoroughfare, but none in one sense more
remarkable than the quickly moving young
man of slight build, somewhat under the
medium height, with curly brown hair,
smooth, innocent face, having yet certain
lurking sinister suggestion in spite of the
reaSsul.ing gold-bowed spectacles seemingly
indicative of the student at Andover. The
young man has a courtly address; at
tractive manners and cordially greets ac
quaintaDces. He is pointed out as Henry
S. Ives.
Whatever may be said of him he is not a
snob. Young men of tenth of his con-
coded ability act like autocratS, and the
veriest cads, simply because somebody has
left them some money or because they hap
pen to have rich fathers. Ives had nothing
but brains and adopting Danton's motto of
"Tou jours de 'aulace'h has made fortune.
His character is exactly as good as hundreds
of men well known in the financial world.
That is no defense of him; it is the worst
thing that can be said of him. In Wall
street he is guilty of the objectionable sin
of being caught The Stock Exchange in
dorsed him when it supposed him new
power iD finance and it greeted his downfall
with cheers Nothing could more strik-
ingly exemplify the character of that insti-
tuition.
Ives lives in Brooklyn in the height of
luxury He has a colored valet to whom he
has been in the habit of giving carte blanche
in the matter of expenditures for furnish
ing the house. Recently this enterprising
colored person bought, understand, $4,000
worth of beautiful decorations, including fine
bronzes, and got n commission of 10 per
cent. on the purchases.
Then there is George Staynor The news
papers have said little of his autecedents be-
cause they seem to know very little about
him. He came, as is generally known,
from New London, Conn. and is about 60
years of age. He is short, squat, bow-legged
and waddles like Gen. Butler. How did he
get his first start! l haven't seen a line in
print on this subject. In New London,
some twenty-five years ago, there was one
of those obscure geniuSes who have the know
little or nothing of business or the ways of
the world. He invented a lathe for print
ing the filagree engraving on the backs of
bank notes; it had a peculiar movement and
it did almost instantaneously what might
take days to do by the old method
which, moreover, was not only slower but
much more expensive. The inventor was
drowned short time after he had shown
Staynor his invention. Staynor obtained
possession of it and came to New York.
10 to IF ha
Bank Note Company and asked for the
President He was told that that official
was engaged.
"No matter if he is" was Staynor's re-
spouse. II wish to see him at once have
something that wish to tell him."
He was admitted and showed the Presi-
dent of the company the invention. The
President called the superintendent, who
pronounced it q valuable thing.
WELL" said Staynor, I'm here to sell
it."
The President asked how much he
wanted and he named good round sum
in cash and q considerable amount in
stock
1--WE don't care to pay so much" said the
official, anxious to get the invention for little
or nothing.
GAN right said Staynor. "If you
don't take it others will" And he started
to go
Hold ont" called the official when Staynor
had reached the door. ''Hold on. Perhaps
we can do better. Give us until tomorrow
TO think it over"
"Nc, SIR said Staynor emphatically,
''you must decide today"
Then the head of the company begged for
an hour for consideration. IL was given.
On Staynor's return he was told that the
company would take the patent, but could
not paw his price.
"Well, said Staynor, 1--WE got good
thing and know it. Since have been out
have changed my terms | will let you
have it at the same amount in cash as |
said before, but you have got to give me
moro stock
They did.
Staynor got his start, became Secre-
tary of the company and later drifted into
finance.
Christopher Meyer, who has been Ives
hacker to some extent, used to be a porter
in this city. lie owes his fortune to two
wealthy ladies who established him in
the rubber business. Now he is worth 81,
100000
II is a strange story. An idle lounger in
q small Connecticut town, a bell boy in
Harper's and porter in a New York mer-
camille house. The whirligig of time brings
them in millions Two drop faint by the
wayside and one, shrewd old Christopher
Meyer, is enjoying life at Saratoga with
young and beautiful wife. Staynor sits with